Contact sports, such as American tackle football and lacrosse, are associated with an increased risk of injury to the lower leg of the athletes participating in these dangerous activities. In particular, the Achilles heel and ankle areas are left exposed, and are consequently not protected from the various traumatic hazards associated with those sports. Athletes know that these areas are prone to injury, and often therefore hold back and don't play to their highest potential so as to avoid injury. Once injured, ankles have a high probability of recurring sprains, and suffer increased joint laxity, resulting in a chronic injury pattern.
Protecting the areas around the ankle and the Achilles heel while not hindering the athlete's range of motion is an elusive goal of sporting equipment manufacturers. Rigid ankle bracing, such as the “aircast” stirrup ankle brace disclosed in Johnson, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,489, wherein an orthotic device is disclosed consisting of two outer injection molded plastic shells (commonly referred to as “stirrups”) having two inner inflatable air bags/bladders. The shells are positioned against the medial side and the lateral side of the heel, ankle, and lower leg, and are connected with attachment straps positioned above the ankle, which straps are connected to a strap under the heel. Braces such as these severely limit the movement and performance of athletes.
Single hinged devices are also well-known in the prior art. For example, Wilkerson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,259 discloses a medial hinged stirrup device. This device has a medial hinge and a lateral supporting structure with a lateral malleolar aperture. These devices are bulky, and inhibit an athlete's ability to fully rotate their ankles.